March 8 | Chili Cook Off 

On Sunday, March 8, will have our Annual Chili Cook Off – sponsored by the United Methodist Men at 12:30 PM in Wesley Hall. Enter your chili (about 4 quarts) to win a prize. There is a $10 entree fee. The categories are Traditional, Non –Traditional, and Spiciest. If you don’t want to enter the contests, just come and taste and judge the entries and enjoy a bowl of the house chili, mac & cheese, cornbread, and beverage. Adult meal is $6 per person, kid's meal is $4 per person, and family (max: 2 adults & 2 or more kids)is $20 per family. Please join us for a fun time of food and fellowship. Please sign up on Realm by March 5.

March 9 | Loopers for Hoopers Movie Fundraiser

Join us on Monday, March 9, at 7:00 PM for a special evening supporting the restoration of our gym! To help meet important needs such as resurfacing the gym floor and other infrastructure improvements, we invite you to a unique fundraiser event. MUMC member Ward Clayton will introduce and host a showing of: Loopers: The Caddie’s Long Walk, an inspiring documentary exploring the lives of caddies across the world of golf. A time for discussion and questions will follow the film. Tickets to the event are $25 with all proceeds going toward the gym work. You can buy tickets on Realm here. Come enjoy a meaningful evening and help ensure our gym continues to serve our church and the community for years to come.

You can also make a donation toward the gym floor resurfacing by clicking here > selecting "Other Income" > and putting"Gym Floor" in the memo. Thank you for your help!

March 13 | Cookout & Camping 

Mark your calendar! The annual Cookout & Camping event is March 13-14! We invite all to join in for the games and cookout and if you are feeling adventurous, bring your tent and camp out for the night. Registration is required for food and supply purposes. See all details about food and more on the registration in Realm.

March 15 | Realm Connect Training Classes 

Want to feel more confident using Realm? Join us for an upcoming Realm Training Class designed for both new and current users, with a special emphasis on small group participants and leaders. 

During these sessions, you’ll learn how to: 

• Mark small group attendance 
• Send messages to your small group 
• Share files and photos 
• Navigate Realm more easily and effectively 

Sunday, March 15 at 12:15 PM  – Sign up here. 

Whether you’re brand new to Realm or just need a refresher, this training will help you make the most of the tools available. Everyone is welcome! 

March 16 | Interfaith Dinner

Last year we established a pattern of sharing a meal during Ramadan with our friends from the Turkish Cultural Center. All are welcome to share delicious food and engaging conversation with our neighbors. Please see Pastor Missy if you have any questions. Sign up here.

March 28 | Church Work Day 

We need men and women to help us get the campus cleaned up for spring and our Easter event. Please come and help us on Saturday, March 28 from 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM. There are all kinds of tasks available for you to help beautify our campus such as cleaning windows, working in the gardens, trimming trees and bushes, cleaning the sanctuary etc. Any help is appreciated by David Spottswood and his team. Come for as much time as you have available. We appreciate all the help! Please sign up on Realm to let us know you’re coming to help. 

March 29 | United Methodist Men’s BBQ Social 

On Sunday, March 29 at 5:30 PM in the field behind the gym, the United Methodist Men are having a free BBQ Social. The BBQ includes hamburgers and hot dogs with all the trimmings, baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, dessert, and a beverage. This is a casual event for the men of our church to meet new members, visit with friends and have a great time of food and fellowship. The BBQ is free, please sign up on Realm by March 26 so we will know how much food to prepare for the event. We hope to see you there!

Summer Camp

We are super excited to offer 8 weeks of Summer Camp. The first week is split with Vacation Bible School in the mornings and Basketball Camp or Summer Camp in the afternoons. Weeks 2-8 offer full day Summer Camp. If you are looking for a camp that includes Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, and Music (STREAM), we have you covered. Our Kindergarten to 7th grade students will enjoy STREAM learning plus indoor/outdoor sports, Praise Time along with making new friends.  

• Kindergarten-4th grade   
• 5th-7th Grade – includes special events, activities on and off campus 
• 8th-11th Grade – SALT (Students Acquiring Leadership Training)

We are also excited to offer Music Camp July 20-24. Sign up for Music Camp is included in the Summer Camp Registration. We are looking forward to another great summer. Learn more here.

March 12 + 13 | True Beauty Book Club

The True Beauty book club will meet in March after having read the book The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon for a discussion. Upon registration, the location will be emailed to you the week of the meeting. Meeting dates will be:    

• Longleaf (St. John’s County) – Thursday, March 12, 12:00 PM
• Mandarin – Thursday, March 12, 6:00 PM
• Mandarin – Friday, March 13, 12:00 PM

Adult Bible Studies Ongoing Small Groups 

Check out some of our various small groups. To learn more about groups and see what we're studying, click here. 

Weekly | Classes

Check out our various Sunday School classes. To learn more about times, locations, and what we're studying, click here.

Upcoming Ways to Serve + Get Involved

• February 28 | Saturday Service: Cup of Love  
• February 28 | Upward Free Throw Fundraiser  
• March 1 | Communion Offering 
• March 1 | ICARE Network Meeting  
• March 19 | Residing Hope: Day of Hope  
• March 23 | Teacher Treats at CPE  

February 28 | Upward Free Throw Fundraiser  

On Saturday, February 28, Upward Basketball will have the opportunity to help raise funds for our annual Rise Against Hunger meal-packing event. Players will have the opportunity to shoot free throws and half court shots – each worth a designated amount – to help raise funds.  



HOW TO SUPPORT: We are looking for donors to sponsor free throws for this event. The amount is your choice. We are estimating at least 65 free throws to be made. If you would like to support this event, email Gabrielle. 

March 1 | ICARE Network Meeting  

On Sunday, March 1, at 12:30 PM in 852, we will host an ICARE Network Meeting for our congregation. This is a great event to attend to learn more about ICARE, learn about the issues ICARE is focusing on, and a great event to attend if you cannot make the Justice Meeting later in March.

March 1 | Communion Offering  

The Communion Offering for March will support a Zoe Empowers group in Rwanda. This group is being sponsored by churches in the North East District of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. 

March 19 | Residing Hope: Day of Hope

Residing Hope is hosting their annual Day of Hope on March 19. The February date will be geared for families with children with interactive activities. The March date will still offer opportunities to learn about the campus. If you are interested in attending in March, please email missions@mumc.net. Learn more here.

Partner Schools

During the month of March, we are collecting test day snacks for students at Crown Point Elementary. Snacks should be store-bought, individually wrapped and contain no nuts. Please place items at the Missions Table or Welcome Table by March 22. 

Donations Needed: Easter Baskets  

UWF is asking for donations for the Easter baskets that they are making for the Mandarin Food Bank. 

Needed: 

• Easter Grass 
• Baskets with small handles 
• Small toys - stuffed animals, crayons, coloring books, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, etc. 
• Candy - no nuts and individually wrapped 
• Ribbon up to 1/2" wide to tie up baskets 

Donations can be dropped off at church office or left on the UWF table in the Gathering Space through March 9.

Weekly | Facilities Recreation Schedule

Pickleball:

• Sundays: 1:30-4:00 PM
• Tuesdays: 5:00-7:00 PM (earlier ending time in January and February)
• Thursdays: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM

Spring Soccer – Registration

Registration for spring soccer is now open! We have two different registration links. Please make sure you pick the correct one! There is a $15 discount if you register by March 5.

• Returning Players – Register here. If you have the Fall 2025 uniform, choose this option. The cost is $100.
• New Players – Register here. The cost is $170.

Practices will start the week of March 16, and the first games will be March 28. If you have questions or to volunteer to coach, please email Chris.

Volunteers Needed: Upward Concession Stand

Upward Basketball season is going strong, and we could use your help! We're looking for volunteers to serve in the concession stand and do halftime devotions during Saturday games. Details:

• When: Saturdays through March 7 (no games Feb 14)
• Hours: 7:30 AM - 9:30 PM.
• Who: Volunteers age 16 and older

This is a fun and easy way to support our players and families, and community service hours are available for those who need them.

• Sign up here for concession stand shifts.
• Sign up here for halftime devotions.

Upcoming Summer Dates – Warren Willis Date Moved

May 31 - June 7 | VBS Set up

June 8 - June 12 | SC Wk 1 + Vacation Bible School and Basketball Camp

June 15 - June 19 | Summer Camp Wk 2 + Youth Mission Trip

June 22 - June 26 | Summer Camp Wk 3 + Warren Willis  

June 29 - July 3 | Summer Camp Wk 4 (WWSC moved to 22-27) 

July 6 - July 10 | Summer Camp Wk 5

July 13 - July 17 | Summer Camp Wk 6 + Passion Camp for Youth

July 20 - July 24 | SC Wk 7 + Music Camp (2nd - 6th grade)

July 27 - July 31 | Summer Camp Wk 8

Registration has started. Click here.

Upcoming Youth Dates

• Feb 27 | Middle School Night out » 6:30 - 10:00 PM  
• Feb 27 | Youth Friday Night Hang at Mandarin » 7:00-10:00 PM 
• Mar 6-7 | Confirmation Retreat
• Mar 8 | Youth Leadership » 4:00 PM                                                 
• Mar 20 | Youth Lock-In
• Mar 27 | Friday Night Hang – Volleyball + Pizza                      
• Mar 29 | Parent Connect » 5:00 PM
• Mar 29 | Youth Takeover » 6:30 PM
• Apr 10-11 | Middle School Sea World Trip
• July 13-17 | Passion Camp 

February 27 | Middle School Night Out

Come join us as we head to Breakout Games escape rooms and Jeremiah's Italian Ice on February 27, from 7:00 - 10:00 PM. The cost is $25. We will meet in the gathering space, please eat dinner before you come. We will play underground church when we return to MUMC before parent pick up.

We need more people to sign up to make this a doable event and keep cost down. Sign up has reopened, click here..

April 10-11 | Middle School Sea World Trip

This includes Friday and Saturday dinner, park ticket, and transportation. Youth will need spending money and money for Saturday lunch in the park. We will meet at 4:30 PM on Friday and return by 10:00 PM on Saturday night.

Confirmation

Confirmation has started and our class is for youth 7th –12th grade. Our classes (focusing on UMC theology, scripture, prayer and church history) prepare participants to publicly confirm their personal commitment to Christian discipleship and membership in the United Methodist Church. 

Class dates are: March 1, March 15, March 29, April 19, April 26, May 3, and May 6 (Wednesday from 6:30-8:30 PM) 



Confirmation Sunday will be May 17 at Longleaf and May 24 at Mandarin. 

Please sign up if you plan to participate in this year's confirmation class.

July 13-17 | Passion Camp

Our first deposit is due for the summer of 2026 of $100. Passion Camp is a fan favorite and our group has gotten so much out of this camp these past four years. It is not too late to sign up! Click here.